This boutique New Orleans Bed and Breakfast is located in the heart of New Orleans' historic Faubourg Marigny, adjacent to the French Quarter, 4 blocks to the Historic French Market, an easy walk to Bourbon Street, and three blocks from the Frenchmen Street jazz clubs.

This New Orleans Bed and Breakfast is a collection of 1854 French Creole Cottages divided by courtyards, an award winning French Quarter and Creole architectural restoration. Dana & Tom are only the fourth owners of this property since 1854. In 1995, their friends Rob and Kevin took this French Quarter style Creole compound and created a unique Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans.

Located just 3 blocks from the music clubs on Frenchmen St, B&W Courtyards is an ideal location for music enthusiasts.

MARDI GRAS 2018 at B&W COURTYARDS IN NEW ORLEANS

Mardi Gras, or Carnival ( from Carne Vale – farewell to meat
) is a whole lot more than a single day, or even a weekend. And it is far more complex than girls and
boys gone wild on Bourbon Street.

We may be biased, but we believe that staying in a bed and breakfast such as ours is the best way to experience Mardi Gras, with innkeepers who know and understand that cultural traditions underlying the holiday.
The season starts on Three Kings Day, January 6th, with a couple of
small but fun parades. The Krewe of Jeanne
d’Arc ( Joan of Arc ), parades through the French Quarter and culminates with
the crowning of the King at the golden statue of Joan of Arc, known to locals
as “Joanie on a Pony,” and the ceremonial consumption of the first king cake of
the season.

Uptown, along the St Charles Avenue streetcar route, Phunny
Phorty Phellows commandeer a streetcar and ride down and back up St. Charles
Avenue accompanied by the Storyville Stompers jazz band.

In our neighborhood, the Faubourg Marigny, the Société Des
Champs Elysée (or more formally "La société pas si secrète
des Champs-Élysées"). takes over a
streetcar along the new Rampart Street line between Elysian Fields Avenue and
Union Station.

The season quiets down a bit after the first weekend, but
quickly ramps up for the three weekends leading up to Fat Tuesday.

Tom & Dana will again be rolling with the Governor’s
Krewe, the Super Krewe of Zulu. This
year’s governor will be Phil “Tuba Phil” Frazier, founder and leader of the
Grammy Award winning Rebirth Brass Band.
Guests staying with us are guaranteed to receive a hand decorated Zulu
coconut, one of the most coveted Mardi Gras throws, as well as other Zulu swag.

KREWE DU VIEUX WEEKEND

JANUARY 27th, 2018

Three Saturdays before Mardi Gras, January 27th this year, Krewe du Vieux rolls right by our bed and breakfast, through the Faubourg Marigny (our neighborhood) and then theFrench Quarter.We’ll be hosting a party for our guests and friends & neighbors.

Krewe du Vieux harkens back to the early days of Mardi Gras.Costumes are sewn by krewe members.Members also build the floats, which are drawn by mules, not tractors.They use real jazz bands like the Treme Brass Band, Panorama Brass Band and TBC Brass Band.The parade is satirical, scatological and completely politically incorrect.The themes are usually topical, frequently lampooning and lambasting elected officials both local and national.

Immediately after Krewe du Vieux, Krewe Delusion rolls down Royal Street, just one block away.If possible, it’s even a little more anarchic than KdV and more homegrown.

The next weekend, this year beginning Friday, February 2nd the season really ramps up. This weekend has come to be known as mini-Mardi Gras. On Friday afternoon the Krewe of Cork, a walking krewe, strolls through the French Quarter drinking wine. That evening the Krewes of Oshun and Cleopatra parade along the traditional uptown route with floats and marching bands. In our neighborhood we have two parades on that Saturday, February 3rd - ‘tit R@x and Chewbacchus. ‘tit is Cajun French for little and the parade takes it’s inspiration from the shoe box floats elementary school children used to make as class projects. Participants dress in formal wear and pull miniature floats illuminated by LED lights. The parade is a favorite of families and children. Later that evening the Krewe of Chewbacchus parades through the Faubourg Marigny. This is a science fiction nerd’s dream parade. The name is a mash up of Chewbacca, the wookie from the first Star Wars movie, and Bacchus, one of the big uptown krewes. This is a science fiction nerd’s dream parade. If you’ve ever wanted to see 45 or so Princess Leias marching together then this is the parade for you. Uptown, starting at 1:00 PM a total of 5 krewes parade down St Charles Avenue to Canal Street at the edge of the French Quarter. They are, in order, the Krewes of Ponchartrain, Choctaw, Freret, Sparta, and Pygmalion.

Sunday, the 4th of February Barkus, the dog parade, wends it’s way through the French Quarter. Uptown the Krewes of Femme Fatale, Carrolton, King Arthur and Alla march down St Charles Avenue, turning onto Canal Street at the edge of the Quarter, and then proceeding down to Magazine or Tchoupitoulas Street.

For us, Mardi Gras 2018 really kicks off on Thursday evening. There will be three more parades uptown, the Knights of Babylon, the Knights of Chaos and one of our very favorites, the Krewe of Muses. Muses is an all woman krewe, and the first all woman krewe to parade at night along the uptown route. Their signature “throw”, which is one of the most prized of all Mardi Gras souvenirs, is a glitter & bead decorated high heeled shoe.

KREWE OF MUSES WALKING CLUB

FRIDAY - FEBRUARY 9th 2018HERMES, KREWE D'ETAT & MORPHEUS

BOSOM BUDDIES IN THE FRENCH QUARTER

BOSOM BUDDIES PARADING ON ROYAL STREET

Friday February 9th the festivities begin with the Bosom Buddies walking parade in the French Quarter. That evening there are three parades along the St Charles / Canal Street route - Hermes, Krewe d’Etat and Morpheus.

Saturday morning at 10:45 the Krewe of Nomtoc parades in the Algiers neighborhood across the river - you can catch the ferry at the foot of Canal Street. Then at 11:00 AM & 12:00 noon the Krewes of Iris & Tucks parade uptown. At 4:15 Endymion rolls in Mid-City along North Carrollton Avenue and Canal Street, and then down St Charles Ave.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11th, 2018

OKEANOS, THOTH & BACCHUS

Sunday we have four parades along the traditional St. Charles Avenue route: Okeanos starting at 11:00 AM, Mid-City at 11:45 and Thoth at noon. Bacchus rolls at 5:15. Preceding Bacchus is the satirical walking krewe Box of Wine. An important part of carnival is skewering the affectations and pomposities of the upper classes. Bacchus is the creation of the Brennan family, a leading family of New Orleans restaurateurs. Box of Wine is the creation of service industry workers, lampooning the pretensions of their bosses.

Monday, February 12th brings the Zulu Lundi Gras Festival in Woldenburg Park along the French Quarter’s riverfront. From 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM there will be music, food and appearances by the Zulu characters - King Zulu, The Province Prince, Zulu Governor, Ambassador, Mr. Big Shot, Mr. Big Stuff and the Witch Doctor.

In the afternoon there is the Red Beans & Rice parade, a quirky small parade that starts in the Bywater (just downriver from B&W Courtyards), winds it’s way through the Bywater and Faubourg Marigny, then into the Tremé, where it is met by the Dead Beans Parade coming down from Mid-City.

The Krewe of Zulu is the first parade to roll Mardi Gras morning. The route starts uptown on Jackson Avenue, rolls down Jackson and makes a left on St. Charles, then down St. Charles to Canal, then up to Basin Street and finally up Orleans Avenue to the Zulu clubhouse on North Broad.

The Krewe of Zulu parade is one of the best loved parades of the season. The hand decorated coconut, sometimes referred to as the Golden Nugget, is one the most coveted "throws".

ZULU TRAMPS ON JACKSON AVENUE

The Zulu Tramps are probably the most popular of the sub-krewes of Zulu. The name comes from the original name of the club - The Tramps. The name change came in 1916 with the formal incorporation of the club.

KREWE OF REX PARADE

Rex is the last major parade to roll on Mardi Gras day. Established in 1872, Rex is one of the oldest Mardi Gras krewes in New Orleans. Rex is Latin for king, and the krewe, mostly wealthy uptown residents, are considered the Kings of Carnival.

A KREWE OF REX RIDING LIEUTENANT ON ST. CHARLES AVENUE ON MARDI GRAS MORNING